Borderlands: Flushing and Broadway, 1905
Where is Bushwick and Why?
Part 1: Lines on a map.
Let’s start with a simple question: where exactly is Bushwick? And where is it not? It’s a question that comes up a lot, and the answer depends on who you ask — especially if you are asking a real estate agent!
Bushwick lies between Williamsburg, Bed-Stuy, and Ridgewood on the Queens border, all without a natural geographic border, save for the green hills of the Cemetery Belt. So it can a bit tricky to figure out what is what, and where is where. Let’s get that out of the way.
The current borders, as displayed on the Bushwick Geographic Map are the official ones. These lines define Bushwick as Community District 4 — arguably the only one in the city consisting of one recognized neighborhood. This is more than a simple set of lines, but a complex set of alliances, allegiances, and agendas, as Aaron Short has described so aptly. It’s the borders of Bushwick — along with Assembly, Senate, and City Council Districts — that have come to define the neighborhood today so contentiously known as “Bushwick.”
Seen from a historical perspective, the borders of our community were shaped more by what was going on outside Bushwick than what was happening within. As we will explore, these lines have flexed with ecological, economic, political, and demographic shifts — all the makings of history!
Over the course of this next few articles, we will be exploring the drift of these borders, simple lines on a map, that have come to define Bushwick.
Coming next time: Where did Bushwick first start? And why was it so damn big?
Dresden August 1st, 2008 at 11:32 am
bushwick country club – uhm – not in bushwick.
Hrag August 1st, 2008 at 11:44 am
Historically the East Williamsburg Industrial Park was in Bushwick and I think it’s fair to say that it is again…common art world usage incorporates the industrial park in Bushwick but your map excludes it.
Alberto August 1st, 2008 at 2:31 pm
There shouldn’t be much of a conversation of bushwick’s borders. It was the same as it was for decades until realtors started with the east williamsburg angle. Flushing Avenue is the line between the burg and the bush… Always has been.
Jimmy Legs August 1st, 2008 at 2:51 pm
could that confusion arise from the fact that the whole of northern brooklyn originally was ‘bushwick’?
the current incarnation is already so huge, to add the space above flushing seems excessive. what’s amazing to me is the neverending backlash to the ‘east williamsburg’ thing.
Dresden August 1st, 2008 at 6:01 pm
It was originally “Boswijck”, named by Peter Stuyvesant.
At the turn of the 19th century, Bushwick consisted of four villages, Green Point, Bushwick Shore[7], later to be known as Williamsburg, Bushwick Green, and Bushwick Crossroads, at the spot today’s Bushwick Avenue turns southeast at Flushing Avenue.
But still – Bushwick Country Club – not in Bushwick.
Brandon August 1st, 2008 at 7:18 pm
Bushwick Country Club isn’t even in East Williamsburg, as far as I understand. It’s in Williamsburg proper. What a joke.
Yes, Flushing is the border. Tell those McKibbin loft kids to suck it up and embrace reality. East Williamsburg is a neighborhood and has been for long before realtors started pretending Bushwick was part of it.
'sup August 1st, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Alot of the confusion has to do with the fact that part of Bushwick Avenue, and the big old Bushwic Projects, are in Williamsburg. Folks living off and around the Montrose “L” stop, looking around and seeing these things, often got confused and thought they were in Bushwick.
Thanks for posting this.
ben August 1st, 2008 at 7:23 pm
does myrtle avenue divide bushwick in more than just a physical or geographic sense?
Matthew August 1st, 2008 at 7:43 pm
If you could make one of these for East Williamsburg that would be very helpful as well.
In fact if you could make different ones for all the Brooklyn areas that would be great.
Or if there a way to search for these?
Dresden August 2nd, 2008 at 12:22 am
I’m opening an East New York Country Club in Bushwick just to see how many drive-by shootings I get from hardcore people from that hood.
Bwick CC is run by a guy who lives in fuck-all JERSEY!!!!
Joke isn’t the word – it’s offensive.
Kevin August 2nd, 2008 at 8:21 pm
The history aside, in recent times, it was artists not real estate agents that started calling the area around the Morgan stop Bushwick. It was about 4 years ago (only slightly longer at most). I don’t know whether Bushwick Art Project started the trend or not but they definitely played a big part in pushing it. I thought it was funny then because all those people lived in lofts next to the Morgan stop (on the wrong side of Flushing). They wanted to distinguish the area from the area around the Bedford stop. This was also just before the media started talking about Bushwick.
Dresden August 2nd, 2008 at 8:36 pm
I first came out here in 1999 and the first think I saw was:
- a large dead rat in the middle of the street
- three coyote-type dogs, probably all related, trotting along a steel barricade to an industrial yard, looking guilty – literally a feral pack of dogs
- a car playing latin music getting louder, loudest, softer, fading away
Back then it was East Williamsburg. No one called it Bushwick. Never happened. The line was clear – Morgan was not Bushwick. Jefferson was.
bushwicknative August 2nd, 2008 at 11:23 pm
This is one of those debates that will last forever. Personally I agree with the borders on the map but as I have said in this forum before neighborhood boundaries do change over time. I grew up (1950s) a block from the Queens border but definitely in Brooklyn (11237) . Although that was Wyckoff Heights post office we to be honest always called it Ridgewood and I would say considered the Ridegwood/Bushwick line to run from Myrtle/Wyckoff rather than along the Bklyn queens border more down Myrtle to Knickerbocker and across. In other words the Ridgewood Neighborhood had sort of “infiltrated” Brooklyn.
Dekalb stop was Ridgewood for sure and Jefferson was probably on the edge. Morgan was clearly NOT Bushwick. East Williamsburg was not even discussed in the 1950s as it was mainly industrial and not a lot of residents any way.
The really weird thing is I have found an old map from 1855 or so ( yes 1855) which indicates that what we now call Ridgewood was called wast Williamsburg and Ridgewood was out by the resevoir in Highland park.
FormerRidgewoodite August 4th, 2008 at 10:23 am
We have to remember that there really aren’t any “official” neighborhoods in Brooklyn, at least not recognized by the Post Office. Unlike in Queens where the neighborhoods are basically determined and defined by zip code (although they have some exceptions such as Glendale and Ridgewood which share a zip code), Brooklyn doesn’t divide neighborhoods by zip code. It would make it a lot easier if it was, but it isn’t done like it’s done in Queens.
Think of your typical envelope address, you always see:
Mr John Smith
60-55 Myrtle Ave
Ridgewood, NY 11385, NOT Queens, NY 11385
But you will never see
Mr John Smith
1055 Myrtle Ave
Bushwick, NY 11221 it will always say “Brooklyn, NY 11221″
The same is true in Manhattan, you will see:
Mr John Smith
XXXX East 4th St
New York, NY 100XX, not “Greenwich Village, NY 100XX”
It appears that neighborhoods in Brooklyn are more “traditional” than actual. It’s always the “Bushwick section of Brooklyn”, not “Bushwick, NY”. Whereas, it’s not really the “Douglaston section of Queens”, it’s “Douglaston, NY”. I don’t know why, but that’s the way it is.
The traditional borders in Brooklyn have changed many times. In fact, there were times when it was considered “Ridgewood” as deep into Bushwick as Wilson Ave. Today, they typically define it as the Brooklyn-Queens border as Ridgewood’s boundary, but it wasn’t always like that to my knowledge. But of course, even that border has changed…it used to slice right through blocks and even houses at one time, instead of the zig zap pattern today, but that’s another story…..
Brandon August 4th, 2008 at 12:37 pm
http://208.7.160.123/services/realestate/2007/10/11/2007-10-11_go_to_east_williamsburg.html
FormerRidgewoodite August 4th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
The New York Times article is wrong. “East Williamsburg” doesn’t have it’s “own” zip code. What is 11237 overlaps what what is considered “Bushwick”, just like 11221 overlaps with Bedford-Stuyvesant. 11206 also overlaps what is considered “Bushwick” and what is considered “East Williamsburg” and “Williamsburg”.
brian October 26th, 2009 at 2:20 am
NORTH OF FLUSHING IS WILLIAMSBURG. (OR EAST WILLIAMSBURG, AS PRINTED ON SEVERAL MAPS).
BUSHWICK IS SOUTH OF FLUSHING (aka “SO, FLUSH!”)
Yes, ironically (haha there’s that word again), it is these opportunist artists who try to call East Williamsburg Bushwick (especially the excellent East Wiiliamsburg area around the Morgan L Stop). They can’t deal with their OWN thinking that “Williamsburg” isn’t ‘cool’ anymore. They Bushwick “artists” crew are opportunist capitalists like the realtors are, they are trying to push what they think is their uber – cool, “new” name into Williamsburg territory. Now they have attached a gross sign to the fence at the entrance of the Morgan L stop – 2 foot letters that say Bushwick – more of their oh so cool illegal guerilla art.
The reality is the Bushwick art and music crowd has not succeeded as they had hoped, so they are trying to lay claim to all the art and artists and galleries, etc that are thriving in East Williamsburg (which is exactly what the dishonest realtors do).
If the Bushwick artists and musicians, south of Flushing, of course (so-flush!), simply concentrated on improving their arts, they could make a name for themselves. The art is more important than where you live, kiddies.
From the Morgan L stop in East Williamsburg, I bid you good night!!